Making Art a Practice: 30 Ways to Paint a Pipe (How to Be the Artist You Are) by Bennett Cat

Author:Bennett, Cat [Bennett, Cat]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Findhorn Press
Published: 2013-07-31T21:00:00+00:00

Heidi Pollard—“Missing Tooth”

Practice 16: Take Action

Action is the key to jumping into the creative flow. When inspiration comes, we need to respond. This is how to be in the creative flow. We can just trust and dive in.

In the second volume of his autobiography, That’s the Way I See It (Chronicle, 1996), David Hockney describes moving from London to Paris in 1973 in order to find new direction in his art. He describes feeling lost. But he didn’t just sit and think; he took action. Something called to him, something he knew, and he started drawing. And despite first making a series of formal portrait drawings, he soon began making bold set designs for an opera company. Any action related to our purpose and devotion will get the wheels of creative enterprise turning. We may well change course in time but it’s by being engaged that we’ll engage with inspired action, see new opportunities and get fresh visions.

No matter our concerns, whether we’re beginning or experienced, uncertain what to do next, or in the flow of a project, action is what matters. It gives us energy and ideas. And it’s how we make art.

To be in the flow of creativity—act immediately on inspiration without hesitation. I learned this from Koei Kuwahara, a Japanese acupuncture and Aikido master. This principle applies to life, too. When I started to work with this concept, I was amazed to see the fantastic ways things started to fall into place. Every inspired action takes us somewhere. But we may well need to let go of some of our attachments and fixed ideas.

There’s no need to think too much, to question or get caught in endless debate of this or that. Just trust, go for it and see what happens. It’s a much faster way forward, a much more interesting way. All action that supports our dream and purpose is good action. Our actions don’t need to be big, even a small step generates momentum. And it’s momentum we need in order to manifest our dreams.

TIP: Something interesting always happens when we take action on inspiration. When we build on an action, it gets even more interesting.

REFLECTION: Check for any tendency to over-think, rationalize, or scheme. Replace fear with faith. Trust that all action leads to awareness and growth. We can’t guarantee results. We only need to do the work and see where it goes.

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